Unlikely Allies
by the lurker
Summary: Parker uncovers yet another dark Centre secret.
1. Chapter One

THE PRETENDER

"Unlikely Allies"

by the lurker

The fall air felt crisp in her lungs. It was early morning, and the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. The leaves crunched under her feet as she walked through the cemetery, and it reminded her of when she was a little girl. She didn't know what had called to her this particular morning, in the darkness of predawn; in the silence of the approaching fall. But she had heard it, and made sure that there was time to visit her mother's grave on her way to the Centre. As she approached the now-worn headstone, she could see the pristine bouquet of flowers which had been carefully laid beneath it. As unlikely as it seemed, her father must have come by, although she was fairly certain that today did not represent any particular occasion. Perhaps he had felt it too.

Parker knelt at the plot, gently placing a hand on the stone bearing her mother's name. She wondered what her mother would be like now, so many years later. Would her hair be white and her face wrinkled? She would never know, for Catherine Parker would eternally be 35 years old. Miss Parker closed her eyes, fighting off the stinging moisture in them. It didn't matter how many years passed, it hurt as much now as it did when she was ten years old, and there had been only Sydney for comfort. A rueful smile played across her lips: unless she was nursing a bottle of vodka late at night, Sydney was still her only comfort. Her eyes fell on the bouquet of white China Mums mixed with roses, lying at the base of the headstone. There was something oddly familiar about them, but it was just out of reach to her conscious mind. It was a curious remnant, and she realized, probably a silly ponderance - who else but her father would have placed them here? Parker ran a finger over the velvety petals of one white rose. She smiled; her mother would have liked them.

Parker stood, looked once more at the name engraved in the stone, and quietly left, trying to shut out the inner voice calling to her from within.

* * *

The Centre felt unusually cold to her as she walked down the hallway heading toward her office. She wrapped her arms around herself as she picked up her pace. For a moment, she thought she felt eyes on her, but there was no one else around. Parker shook her head; she was letting all of the clandestine intrigue that filled her life take over her rationality. She rounded a corner and realized she wasn't at her office. Parker shook her head in disgust - where was her mind today? The voice from behind made her start.

"Miss Parker?"

She turned to find Sydney smiling at her, and her irritation was evident.

"_What_ are you doing here?"

One dark eyebrow raised in amusement, "Last time I checked, this was my office...."

She glared at him. "I meant what are you doing here at this hour?"

"One could ask the same of you, Miss Parker."

She growled under her breath and started out, Sydney's voice stopped her at the threshold. "Did you need something, Parker?"

She turned around, her eyes lit with fire. "_No_."

"Then why--"

"--Look, I was thinking while I was walking, and I ended up here, okay?"

"You don't find it odd that you wound up in my office and not yours?"

"Oh for God's sake; don't make something out of nothing, Dr. Doolittle, I simply wasn't paying attention."

While his eyebrows raised at the explanation, Sydney refrained from commenting further. Satisfied that it was a closed subject, Parker turned on her heel, heading for the door. He looked down at the floor, his eyes landing on Parker's shoes as she walked away. He was surprised to see mud around the edges of them, but then, he could surmise the reason. Sydney stood there for a moment, his mind ordering the facts to a long-awaited problem. He turned away and sat heavily in his desk chair; he was going to have to seek out a most unlikely ally.


	2. Chapter Two

"How dare you bring this up to me." Sydney looked away, guilt filling his dark eyes, and Parker continued in anger. "You were told thirty years ago never to mention it again, much less on the very day that--"

"--I am not doing so out of malice."

Mr. Parker's voice took on a sarcastic tone, "Really?"

Sydney looked at the man, but his voice remained soft, unthreatening. "I'm concerned about Miss Parker."

"Your concern is misplaced."

"I don't think so."

"What is so unusual about my daughter visiting her mother's grave?"

"To commemorate an anniversary she knows nothing about?"

Parker's jaw clinched in fury, "A coincidence, nothing more." His voice grew dark with intent, "And today does not represent an anniversary of any kind."

Sydney looked away, his stomach pulling tightly into a knot. "She came to me this morning, without knowing why."

"She goes to your office daily, Sydney, you work together." A strange smile pulled at Parker's mouth, "It's just your guilt rising to the surface."

He looked down, "Perhaps so, Mr. Parker." The dark eyes flicked up to look into the blue ones staring at him. "But I believe it to be something else."

Parker laughed, "Oh yes, the 'inner sense.' That's what you call it, isn't it? It's a lot of crap."

Sydney stepped close to Parker, and leaned in mere inches from the man's face. "If you actually believed that, I wouldn't be here right now."

Parker gritted his teeth, "I should have killed you thirty years ago for what you did." He looked down, then back up at Sydney. "The only reason I didn't was because Catherine begged me not to."

"She threatened to expose your duplicity, you mean." Parker stared in astonishment, and Sydney smiled. "You didn't think I knew, did you?"

Parker turned his back to Sydney, as he walked behind his desk. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You set it up as a means of controlling her. But in the end--"

"--in the end Catherine took us all by surprise."

Sydney looked down at his hands. "Yes, I suppose she did." He glanced up at Parker. "Look, I'm here for Miss Parker's sake, nothing else. If we're going to keep her from discovering the truth, we're going to have to work together. As she gets older, her abilities are becoming sharper. And let's not forget, Mr. Parker, she was there that day, she just doesn't remember."

"You don't think--"

"--I don't know." Sydney looked deeply into the man's eyes, "What I do know is that we must protect her. This particular truth could destroy her, and I don't believe that either one of us wants that."

Mr. Parker stared hard into the dark eyes before him, but did not comment. After thirty years, revenge would be no less sweet.


	3. Chapter Three

Sydney glanced at his watch as he left Mr. Parker's office; it was just before 8am. He knew it was silly, but he felt the need to check on Miss Parker. He turned down the corridor to her office, and stopped short when he saw Willie standing in front of her door. Sydney backed around the corner, and watched. A few minutes later, Raines emerged from the office, nodded to Willie, and the two of them headed toward the opposite end of the corridor. As soon as they were out of sight, Sydney went to Parker's door, opened it, and peered cautiously inside. Parker was standing in front of the small window in her office, her back to the door. He entered and stopped a few feet inside.

"Miss Parker?"

She started at the sound of his voice, and turned around, anger lighting her eyes. "Don't you knock?"

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

Sydney remained silent for a moment, and observed her as she nervously rearranged the papers on the top of her desk. He moved a few steps closer.

"What did Mr. Raines want?"

"The ghoul was complaining about the search for--" She stopped moving papers and glared at Sydney. "How did you know he was here?"

"I saw him leave. You were saying....?"

Parker stared at him a moment longer then continued, "Usual BS about our lack of progress in the search for wonder boy."

"Was that all?"

Parker's eyes narrowed as she examined Sydney. "Why are you so interested in this?"

He shrugged slightly as he looked down at her desk, his finger lightly tracing the grain of the wood on top. "Idle conversation, Miss Parker." He looked directly at her, his hands sliding into his pockets. "You seem a little edgy this morning......"

She turned away from the penetrating stare of the dark eyes, and once again looked out the window. After a few moments of silence, Sydney spoke again.

"Parker, are you all right?"

She nodded and looked down at the floor. "I....... I visited my mother this morning."

"Parker?"

She turned to face him, "I don't know...." She looked away.

His timbre became soft and low, "You can tell me, Parker."

Her grey eyes pierced his with their intensity, and her need to trust someone. To trust him. "I felt this overwhelming.......call to go to her this morning."

"Call?"

She shook her head, "I know it doesn't sound rational, but it was as if she had called to me, literally."

Sydney walked a few paces away from her, and muttered, "The inner sense...."

If Parker heard him, she gave no indication of it. "But today doesn't mean anything, Sydney. And that was the other thing..."

"What?"

"My father had been there before me."

"Your....father...."

"Yes. He left a bouquet of white roses and China Mums. Not his usual taste; he always gave her orchids. But there was something oddly familiar about those flowers....." Parker noticed that the color had drained from the man's face. "Sydney? Syd, you all right?"

"Uh, yes, Parker, yes. But I do need to get to an appointment, so if you'll excuse me..."

And before Miss Parker could say anything in response, the good doctor was gone.


	4. Chapter Four

Sydney ducked into the nearest alcove down the corridor from Parker's office, his breath short, and his pulse racing wildly. He let out a slow sigh of air, and leaned his head against the wall, trying to calm down. He slammed his eyes shut against the painful memory that was thirty years in the past, and thirty years in the making. There had been no choice then, any more than there was now. He would have to do what was necessary, no matter what the cost. He opened his eyes, straightened his tie, and quickly walked toward the elevator. There was a lot of work to do....

* * *

The loud ringing made her start. She grabbed her cell phone, opened it, and stabbed a button.

"What?"

She could hear the smile in the voice on the other end of the phone. "Don't you ever tire of Centre intrigue, Miss Parker?"

"Is this how you spend your days, monkey boy, harassing people on the phone?"

"It's early yet, Miss Parker. I have many things planned for today."

"Please. I've had enough riddles for one morning."

"And yet there's so much more to discover about today...."

"If you know something, Jarod--"

"--Start looking within, Miss Parker, you're the one with all the answers."

The line went dead before Parker could fix him with a well-placed retort. She slammed the phone shut and threw it on the desk. In a huff, Parker headed for the door. It was long past time she had a conversation with her father.


	5. Chapter Five

Miss Parker barged into her father's office in time to hear the end of a phone conversation.

"And I told you thirty years ago what would happen to you if she ever found out. Did you think I was bluffing?" Mr. Parker paced by his desk as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. Then he caught sight of Miss Parker in the doorway. "Look, just handle the situation the best you can, and I'll talk to you later."

He hung up the phone and smiled at his daughter. "Angel..." He leaned down to kiss her, and then he looked into her eyes. "What's the matter? You look unhappy."

She walked away from him, toward a chair by the desk. "Who were you talking to, daddy?"

"Just a colleague, sweetheart."

"It sounded fairly urgent...anything I can do to help?"

He smiled at her, though it never reached his eyes. "No, Angel, it's nothing for you. Tell me, how is the search for Jarod progressing? Any news?"

"Not really, although I suspicion Jarod's close-by right now."

He frowned at her, "What makes you say that?"

She shrugged and half-smiled at him. "Nothing, daddy, it's just a hunch."

His eyes narrowed, suspicion filling them. "Now you wouldn't lie to your father, would you, Angel?"

"Of course not, daddy." She smiled dangerously at him, "No more than you would to me."

He chuckled nervously, "Now sweetheart, you know I wouldn't do anything like that to you."

She moved away from him, and played with the sculptured rabbit on his desk. "Daddy.... is today any kind of....well, anniversary?"

He tried to cover his agitation. "What do you mean?"

"Some kind of anniversary for mom."

He turned away from her, and walked toward the window, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "No, no...not that I can recall. Why?"

"I don't know. I sort of remember something, but...."

He turned sharply toward her, "But what?"

She looked up at him. "But it's just out of reach. I keep thinking I remember something, but then, it's gone."

He walked over to her, holding his arms out for her. "Angel," he pulled her into him, "you just miss her, that's all. So do I."

"Do you, daddy?"

"Of course I do. What kind of a question is that?" She shrugged, but didn't respond. He pat the back of her head. "You go on now, sweetheart. If you think that Jarod is in the area, you shouldn't wait. You know how slippery he can be."

"He's not the only one...." She muttered as she walked out the door.

Parker frowned at the off-handed comment. Harnessing the power of the inner sense by carefully cultivating it had been part of his original plan thirty years ago; but it had fallen apart before his eyes, along with his marriage, and the hold he had on those around him. Perhaps Sydney was right; maybe they needed each other as allies at this point in time. Mr. Parker sat down in his desk chair. It required careful calcuation; after all, Sydney could be very dangerous if not handled properly.

* * *

Syd removed the file folder and DSA from the hidden panel in the wall behind the cabinets. He walked over to his desk, sat down, and opened the folder. The yellowed papers were all there, and dryly reported the events much as he remembered them. But a conversation not recorded there floated into his mind....

"_Sydney, please....."_

"_Catherine, you mustn't ask this of me."_

_She grabbed a hold of his arms. "There is no one else, Sydney. You're the only one who can help me. You're the only one I can trust."_

_As he looked into the dark grey eyes, he felt himself melting inside. He looked away._

"_Do you know what they'll do if they catch us?"_

"_Fear, Sydney? I wouldn't have suspected that from you."_

_He walked away from her in anger. "Not for me, Catherine. And not for you." He turned to face her, his eyes blazing with fury. "For the child."_

"_They wouldn't harm her, she's too valuable to them. She is at the heart of everything that Mr. Raines and my husband have done here."_

_He reached out, putting his hands on her shoulders. "After everything they've done to you, knowing what you know, and still, you would consider taking this action?"_

"_She's my DNA, Sydney. My....child."_

_He felt the sting of tears in his eyes as he looked into the--_

--sea of dark grey, realizing that Miss Parker was leaning across the front of his desk, staring at him. He started, and quickly shoved the papers into the folder, leaning across it with his arm. He looked down, trying to wipe the moisture away with his sleeve. Parker stood up straight, putting her hands on her hips.

"Water works, Dr. Jekyll? Please spare me."

"Is there something you want, Miss Parker?"

She was slightly taken aback by the cold steel of his timbre, and couldn't completely cover the hurt in her own voice.

"What's in the file folder?"

He looked up at her, his eyes a dark mist of intimidation. "It's personal."

Parker smiled at him, and reached for it, only to have him pull it away. "_Sydney_...."

"No. I told you it's personal. I meant it."

"If you're hiding something to protect Jarod--"

"--I told you to drop it, Parker."

The unbridled anger in his voice, hinted at a danger that Miss Parker had rarely witnessed in him, but it instinctively frightened her in a way that she couldn't explain. She backed up a few paces toward the door. But the inner sense screamed to be heard, and she blurted out her thought before she could stop herself.

"What haven't you told me about my mother?"

It was more of a statement, than a question, and he perceived her deep-seated fear; Sydney softened slightly. He stood slowly, and walked over to her.

He pitched his voice low and soft, "Miss Parker, there is nothing I can tell you that you don't already know."

She looked at him, a slight frown coming across her brow. A moment later, she was filled with a sudden, overwhelming sense of dread. And Miss Parker turned on her heel, to quickly leave the room. Sydney watched her go, his stomach clenched in a thousand knots of sadness and guilt. He couldn't erase the visions from his mind, nor the emotions associated with them: they were so very much alike.


	6. Chapter Six

The ice clinked against the glass as it began to melt down, but Miss Parker didn't hear it. She took an absent sip of vodka and frowned, trying to pull the fragment into consciousness; but it continued to remain just out of focus. A dark room filled with shadowy figures; an overwhelming anger permeating the air; desolate sobs of defeat; and the remnants of a crushed bouquet lit with silvery white from moonlight pouring in through an open window.... Pieces of a past that she couldn't remember, or remnants of a history that never existed; to Parker, it no longer really mattered which.

The shrill sound of her phone shook her from her thoughts. She grabbed it with fury.

"What?"

"Bad dreams keeping you awake nights, Miss Parker?"

"Don't you have anything better to do, wonder boy?"

"No, not at this moment."

The long silence hung on the air waves between them like a dreadful curse, and Parker's agitated sigh finally sparked Jarod into speaking once again.

"What's bothering you, Miss Parker?"

"Other than you, Jarod?"

He clenched the phone tightly in his fist. "You've been unusually sad, since you visited your mother's grave--"

"--Damn you, Jarod, how dare you track me--"

"--You do it to me all the time, Miss Parker--"

"--That's not the same thing, and you know it."

He let a long pause of silence go by. "What's bothering you?"

Parker looked out the window into the pitch black of night, then quietly said, "I can't shake the feeling that I've forgotten something important. Something about my mother... something about today. I was sure of it when I saw the bouquet my father put on her headstone--"

"--Your father?"

"Yes. You're slipping if you didn't notice the large bouquet of white flowers--"

"--Mums and roses."

"And monkey boy gets the prize...."

"What makes you so sure it was your father who put them there?"

Parker's eyes narrowed together. "Is this some kind of sick joke, Jarod? Did you put them there?"

"No, I did not, Miss Parker."

"Then tell me what you know about this, Jarod." The emotion in the silent pause made Jarod's mouth go dry, and Parker's voice was vulnerable when she continued. "Please, Jarod, if you know something about my mother--"

"--You've got to trust your inner sense, Miss Parker; go where it leads you. And you've got to trust me, at least a little. If I uncover any truths regarding your mother, you'll be the first to know. If there's one thing I understand all too well, it's the feeling of betrayal over my own past."

Parker swallowed hard; life hadn't been easy for Jarod, and she hadn't made it any easier. But all she said was, "Thanks Jarod. I'd appreciate that."

In response, the line went dead.

------------------------------

It was late, and Sydney still sat at the desk in his office. His stomach was burning with guilt, and his head pounded from trying to come up with another way out. But there wasn't one, and Sydney knew it. He closed his eyes in remorse as Catherine's desolate sobs filled his ears.....

"_Oh God, no more. Please....... my little angel will be home any moment; I don't want her to see this. If you ever loved me, you won't let her find us like this."_

_The anger in his voice filled the darkened room, "_If_ I ever loved you? I loved you more than anything else, and you betrayed me....you betrayed us. How could you do this?"_

_His hand hit her again across the face, hard, this time splitting her lip. The bruises around her cheeks and eyes were already swelling, and the tears on her face glistened slightly from the reflection of moonlight coming through the open window...._

Sydney started almost violently when he felt the hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, Sydney, it's just me."

The tired doctor looked up into the concerned eyes of his student. "Jarod. What are you doing here?"

Jarod could easily hear the concern in his mentor's tone. "Don't worry. I can get in and out of here at will...." He smiled at the man he who had raised him, but the old man remained tense. Jarod gently rubbed the taut shoulder under his hand. "What's wrong, Sydney?"

Finally Sydney smiled, although it never lit his eyes. "Nothing, Jarod." He stood and walked away from his student, keeping his back to the younger man. "What brings you here?"

"Miss Parker."

Sydney turned abruptly to face Jarod. "What about her?"

Jarod carefully watched Sydney for any nonverbal clues as he spoke. "She's very upset about her mother."

Sydney's left hand fidgeted slightly, as it always did when he was trying to hide something. "In what way?"

"She says she feels like she's forgotten something important about today, and when she went to visit Mrs. Parker's grave this morning, her father already been there to leave a bouquet of white flowers."

Sydney looked toward the floor, then moved slightly away, his left hand sliding into his pocket. "What's so strange about Mr. Parker putting flowers at his wife's grave?"

"On a holiday or anniversary, I suppose, nothing. But then today doesn't commemorate any kind of remembrance for Mr. Parker, does it Sydney?" The doctor's eyes darted to Jarod's, but he said nothing. "Mr. Parker didn't put any flowers on Catherine Parker's grave this morning: you did."

"That is ridiculous conjecture, Jarod--"

"--No, Sydney. Don't lie to me. I was at the cemetery today, and I saw you. White china mums, and white roses. When I was little, I remember seeing bouquets of that type lying on your desk sometimes, wrapped and waiting to be delivered to someone.... apparently to Mrs. Parker."

Sydney reached for the pretender. "Jarod, you don't understand."

Jarod pulled from the older man's grip. "Then explain it to me."

Sydney looked away. "Jarod, there are some things that you're better off not knowing."

"I can't believe you lied to Miss Parker. She trusts you, Sydney; she looks to you for protection, for kindness....for.....for love. How could you lie to her?"

"I haven't lied to her."

"You certainly haven't told her the truth."

"Jarod, she's been hurt enough."

"Oh, that's perfect. Now you're going to pretend that you're keeping it from her to protect her. Coming from you, Sydney, that's really rich."

The doctor couldn't keep the hurt from his eyes, and he looked away. "Have you told her that it was me?"

"Not yet." Sydney's eyes flicked up to meet Jarod's. "I wanted to give you the chance to tell her yourself."

Syd looked down. "Jarod, I can't--"

"--If you don't, Sydney, I will."

And when Sydney looked up to meet Jarod's eyes once more, the pretender was gone.


	7. Chapter Seven

He glanced at his watch as he slid the DSA into the player; it was five in the morning. He should have gone home. Sydney took a sip of tea from the mug near his hand, and pressed a button. The images of thirty years ago flickered on the small screen.....

"_Is he aware of this?"_

"_No. He would be the last person to suspect that I know the truth about my daughter."_

_Sydney paced the length of his office, then turned to face her. "If he finds out you know and that you told me--"_

"_--He won't, Sydney." She moved closer to him, although she could feel his discomfort. "In any case, we'll be long gone before he figures it out."_

_He moved away from her, shaking his head. "Catherine, this isn't right."_

_She stood close behind him, gripping his arms tightly. "Sydney.....my husband and Raines have put into motion an unspeakable lie; an experiment that is ethically and morally wrong, and they've made me an unwilling party to it. I can't do this without your help, Sydney. He has to believe that there is someone else, or this won't work." She turned him around to face her, gently running her hands up his arms to grasp his shoulders. "Please, Sydney. I need you."_

_Sydney looked away. He never could deny her anything she asked of him, and she knew it. He had been in love with Catherine Parker since the day he met her; but she was married to another, and Sydney knew that his feelings had to be set aside. It went against everything he believed in; but he couldn't eradicate the depth of emotion and regard with which he held her. The dark eyes looked down into the pleading grey ones, and he swallowed hard._

"_I'll do whatever you ask, Catherine, and your secret is safe with me."_

_Catherine put her arms around his neck, pulling him toward her. She lightly brushed her lips across his cheek, and dissolved against him in an embrace that he reluctantly returned....._

Sydney stabbed the stop button in anger, and the images ceased to display on the screen. He stood and began to pace the length of his office, his chest tightening in anger and regret; but whether the regret was over the feelings he still had for Catherine Parker, or over his remorse at not having fully acted upon them, he couldn't be certain. He let out a long sigh of air and reached for the yellowed manilla file folder. Carefully he looked through the documents contained within. The medical records tracking the experiment that could destroy the young woman for whom he cared deeply were all intact; and there was no doubt in his mind that it would be the end of any relationship he might have with her. He held the file folder and DSA in his hands: he should have destroyed them years ago. But they were the only reasons Mr. Parker was forced to go along with many of Sydney's demands regarding Miss Parker over the years, and for as much damage as the truth might do to the doctor, it would be far worse for Mr. Parker. Sydney moved toward the cabinet with the false drawer, preparing to once again protect the documents in his hands, and with them the young woman he looked upon as his own.

But he hadn't heard the soft footfalls enter the room, so when the blunt rod came down hard upon the back of his head and neck, Sydney collapsed silently to the floor, no protest uttered nor considered as the precious items in his hands fell prey to his assailant.

-----------------------------

Parker sipped her coffee and looked at her watch. She sighed loudly and glared in the direction of the computer tech, who tried to make himself blend into his desk.

"Where the hell is he? Has he become so old and doddering that he can't remember meetings anymore?"

Broots shook his head, "I don't know, Miss Parker. His car was in the parking lot when I arrived. Maybe he's stuck on a phone call."

"He isn't answering his office phone you moron, I already tried to call him." As Broots opened his mouth to speak, Parker cut him off. "And I tried his cell and his home phone, just in case." Parker set her coffee down and stood, straightening the jacket to her suit. "I'm going down to his office. I'll be back."

Broots swallowed hard as she stalked out of the room. He felt sorry for Syd, but he was glad it wasn't him.

---------------------------

He moaned as consciousness slowly rolled through his body. He reached up for his head, which felt as if it had imploded, and he realized he was lying on a cold floor. As he tried to move, he became painfully aware that his stomach was incredibly nauseous. But he felt chilled to the bone, and began the arduous process of coming to his knees. He thought he heard the click-clack of high heels pounding in the hallway, and a moment later they resounded in his office, followed by her annoyed voice.

"Damn you Sydney, don't you remember that--" Parker came to an abrupt halt at the sight on the floor, and a moment later, she knelt next to him. "Syd.....what happened? Are you all right?"

His voice was gritty with pain, "I'm sure I'll be fine, but I wouldn't turn down an offer of help right about now...."

Parker gently assisted him to his feet, and frowned as he gingerly held his own head. She guided him to his desk chair, lowering him into it. She leaned against the desktop directly in front of him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

"What the hell happened?"

He shook his head slightly, painfully. "I don't know. Somebody hit me from behind."

Sydney winced in pain, and Parker reluctantly allowed her concern to override her annoyance with him. "Here.....let me take a look at that...."

Not so gently she pulled Sydney's hand away from the back of his head, and she examined the area.

"You've got one hell of a lump on the back of your skull, Syd." He grunted at the obvious, but refrained from any further comment. She noticed the strange angle at which he was holding his head, and reached beneath the collar of his shirt to softly rub his neck. "I'll bet your neck is stiff; mine always is when somebody clobbers me from behind...." He grinned slightly, only to grimace a moment later when her hand sent a sharp pain through him. "Sorry, Sydney. Whoever hit you really meant business." She looked around the office, and noted that nothing seemed out of place. "Doesn't look like they took anything.... you don't remember seeing anyone?"

And then it struck him: the file folder and DSA he had been holding weren't on the floor next to him. He quickly glanced around the office and realized that the items he had previously held in his hands were gone. He pushed down the panic that was quickly rising in his throat.

His voice was gruffer than he intended, "I was hit from behind Parker, how could I see anyone?"

She bristled at his tone, "Don't get snotty, Dr. Strangelove, I'm just trying to help."

His voice softened considerably, "I know. I'm sorry.....my head hurts."

In answer Parker ran her hand soothingly over the back of his shoulders. "I think we'd better get you to medical, Syd, you're completely black and blue back here, and this knot on your head is pretty swollen. You might have a concussion."

"I'll be fine, Parker, really."

She stood, her voice admonishing, "Sydney...."

"I'm the doctor, Parker, and I'm telling you, I'm fine."

He stood quickly to prove his point, and was rewarded with a sudden wave of dizziness. He swayed on his feet, and Miss Parker put her arm around his waist, supporting him.

"Yeah, you're in great shape, Dr. Doolittle." She moved him carefully toward the door. "C'mon, you're going to medical, and 'no' is not an option. I'll have Broots run a check on the security tapes, maybe we've got the guy on camera....." The color drained from Sydney's face and his knees suddenly went weak; he leaned heavily on Parker, who tightened her arm around him. "Easy Syd, I've got you...."

Parker had no idea that Sydney's lack of strength was emanating from the overwhelming fear he felt over what Broots might discover if he reviewed the security tapes from the previous night in the doctor's office. And Sydney surely didn't need any confirmation regarding his assailant's identity, nor where the files and DSA were currently residing.


	8. Chapter Eight

The wheezing sound of Dr. Raines taking a breath filled the room. Mr. Parker had never grown used to it, and it always sent chills up his spine when in close proximity to the reptilian man.

"Now that you have it, why is it still in existence?"

"This is a golden opportunity, Raines."

"Yes, a golden opportunity to get caught. Destroy it, and the truth is destroyed with it. Not to mention the fact that we can rid ourselves of Sydney once and for all in the process."

"There are many ways to destroy a man, Raines. I've waited thirty years for this moment, I'll be damned if I'm going to waste it."

"What are you going to do?"

Parker's smile resembled that of a shark closing in on its next meal. "With a few carefully implemented changes, these pieces of evidence can look quite different."

"Yes, you'll come out as the injured party, and Sydney at fault for all of it. Clever. But remember, Mr. Parker, there is often a fine line between destroying someone's trust in a cherished mentor and destroying the person. Even though Miss Parker has tried to hide it even from herself, on an emotional level, Sydney is a parent. You can undermine her feelings toward him, but in so doing, you might shatter her completely. We have a lot invested in her, so be sure it is something you are willing to risk."

Parker's smile widened. "In any great endeavor, Raines, there is a risk. This experiment has been more than thirty years in the making. And when you think about it, what are we really risking? In and of itself, such a test of her emotional makeup will only serve to tell us how much she is like the original."

Raines nodded, "Just keep in mind that we have never been exactly sure what was between Catherine and Sydney--"

Parker's face turned dark as he cut the man off. "--She merely used his feelings toward her when it suited her, Raines. Nothing more."

"As you wish, Mr. Parker. But don't underestimate the emotional attachment Miss Parker has regarding Sydney. It wouldn't do to make the same mistake twice."

Before Parker could muster a retort, the squeaking wheels were already moving down the hallway.

---------------------------

Parker stood a few feet from the gurney, her arms crossed in front of her, impatience her abiding companion. Finally the attending physician turned toward her.

"Well?"

"He's suffering from a concussion resulting from the blow he took on the back of his head."

"Tell me something I don't know. Will he be all right?"

"With some rest, yes, he should be fine."

He handed her a bottle of pills. "These will help with the nausea. He needs a few days bed rest, and for the first 24 hours, you should awaken him every few hours to be sure he hasn't fallen back into unconsciousness."

"Whoa Dr. Kildare, I'm not his nursemaid....."

"Miss Parker, he has to be monitored for at least a 24 hour period. Whether it's you and someone else makes no difference to me, I'm just telling you what needs to be done."

"Why can't he just stay here?"

"Because he's not that bad off, and he'll be more comfortable at home."

"I'll get Broots to do it...."

Sydney broke into the conversation. "I'll be fine, Dr. Parnasis, I know the warning signs of hemorrhaging, I do not need supervision."

"On the contrary, doctor, I think you know better than that. You have a grade two concussion, and while you seem fine now, we both know it could develop into a grade three and very quickly. You need to be supervised by a responsible adult."

"Well, that lets Broots out...."

"Parker...."

She glared at Sydney, letting out a long-suffering sigh. "Great. It looks like I'm stuck with you Freud. Come on......I'll take you home."

As Sydney walked by Parnasis, the man took Syd's arm. "If I were you, I'd consider asking Mr. Broots to watch over you."

Sydney smiled. "Her bark has always been far worse than her bite."

Parnasis watched them leave, and shook his head. If Sydney wanted to take his life into his hands with such a reluctant guardian, that was his affair.


	9. Chapter Nine

Parker set her keys on the entryway table, and turned toward Sydney who was a few paces behind her. He looked a little worse for the wear, but nonetheless Parker was irritated with the inconvenience of the entire affair.

"Okay Dr. Doolittle, go get into bed. I'll check on you every few hours and if you need anything in the meantime, give me a yell."

One of his elegant eyebrows raised slightly. "Your bedside manner is almost as touching as your concern for my welfare, Miss Parker."

He turned and walked down the hall, and closed the bathroom door behind him. She stared in the direction he'd gone, unable to resist a slight grin. There was nothing Parker enjoyed more than ruffling Sydney's normally unflappable feathers, although she had to admit, he wasn't exactly capable of meeting her on equal ground at the moment. She headed into the living room and sat down on the couch, pulling out her cell phone. She punched in a code and a few minutes later a voice answered.

"Tech room. Broots."

"Meeting's off for the day."

"Miss Parker? Thank God. I was getting worried about you.... I went to Sydney's office, but you weren't there, and you weren't answering your cell phone."

"Dr. Frankenstein's taken a little knock to the head, nothing to get in a twist over, but I've brought him home, and he's on 24 hour bedrest."

"Is he all right?"

"Yes, he's fine, albeit a little grouchy. Listen Broots, I want you to check the security tapes from Sydney's office for the past twelve hour period."

"What am I looking for?"

"For the person who hit him on the head, you moron. I want to know what happened."

"I'll get right on it. And Miss Parker?"

"What?"

"Take good care of Sydney, okay?"

"Don't be ridiculous Broots, if there's one thing that's harder than granite, it's Sydney's head. Let me know the minute you find something."

"Will do."

Parker put the phone away, and looked down the hall. Sydney was still in the bathroom. She frowned slightly, stood and walked toward the door. She leaned in at the door and listened for a moment. She could hear the unmistakable sounds of retching coming from within. Parker rolled her eyes; it was just her luck. Sighing, she knocked on the door.

"Sydney, are you okay?"

He vomited again and then responded. "Does it sound like it to you, Parker?"

"You're a pain in the ass Freud, you know that?"

She opened the door to find Sydney kneeling in front of the toilet, once again emptying the contents of his stomach. Parker scrunched her face up in disgust before going to him. She knelt down next to him steadying him with one hand and rubbing gentle circles on his back with the other.

"Take it easy, Syd. Try and relax a little."

"I heard you talking to someone...."

"I called Broots. He's checking the surveillance tapes. We should have an answer soon." In response Sydney leaned once again into the toilet, and Parker rolled her eyes. "Some people get to command million dollar budgets and armies of minions. I get a moronic computer technician, a deranged science experiment, and a beat up old man. I don't think life could get any better...."

As Sydney proceeded to become violently ill, the seemingly reluctant Miss Parker reached for a washcloth, soaked it with cool water, and held it to his forehead. She stayed with him, gently supporting him until he was so exhausted he couldn't move. Parker pulled his head to her shoulder and ran a soothing hand over his face.

"It's over, Syd. Catch your breath for a minute, then we'll get you to bed."

But even as he lay against her, taking in her tenderness, he knew it was all about to come crashing in upon him. Broots would see the playback of the DSA on the security tape, and probably some of the information contained in the file folder, and from that moment on, Miss Parker would most likely cut him out of every aspect of her life. And somewhere deep down, Sydney knew it was what he deserved. What really terrified him was the effect that the information contained in the file might have on the young woman who had become such a part of him. He could bear any justice he had coming to him, as long as nothing happened to Miss Parker in the process; but reckoning the players involved, Sydney knew they would not spare her in ridding themselves of him. And his heart sank.

She felt Sydney bury his face into her neck, followed by the unmistakable shudder of desolate weeping. Parker rubbed the back of his head softly, not understanding the source of his sudden emotional display.

"Syd......Sydney. It's okay. You're just reacting to the concussion. Take it easy now."

But the sound was familiar, and she knew the inner sense was guiding her....

_Miss Parker stood at the front door of her house and waved to Mr. Finnegan, her friend Megan's father. She smiled to herself; it was a rare day when her father allowed her to go to a friend's house to play, and she had even been given permission to stay there for dinner as well! Megan's family was large; she was one of seven children, and they were all loud and fun loving. Even Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan had a good time with their kids. At dinner they went around the table asking everyone what they had accomplished that day, who they saw, who they helped, and what they learned. Miss Parker wondered why her family didn't eat dinner together every night, much less ask each other what they had done that day. The Finnegan's house seemed so much more alive, and interesting than hers. It wasn't as elegant or as neat, but it was much more of a home._

_She walked into the large house, which was unusually dark given the hour. She switched a few lights on and called out for her mother._

"_Momma? Momma, where are you? I'm home!"_

_The little girl was met only with silence. She knew her mother had to be home, because her car had been in the driveway. And Miss Parker thought she saw Sydney's car parked out on the street, along with another one she hadn't recognized. She went from room to room, looking for any sign of life, but there wasn't a sound in the house. But as she neared the top of the stairs, she heard it. A hollow sound of desolation, despair. It was the sound of soulful weeping. And she thought she heard the comforting low sounds of a male voice._

_Miss Parker followed the noises to the door of the last room of the hallway. It was slightly ajar, and she peered in. It was very dark, and she thought she saw shadows along the walls. On the floor near the window was a crushed bouquet of white mums and roses shimmering still in the moonlight that shone through the one open window. Miss Parker's mother was crying and clinging to someone. Miss Parker knew it had to be her father, but as she pushed the door slightly wider, she saw that it wasn't Mr. Parker comforting his distraught wife, but instead, Sydney._

"_Catherine, I'm so sorry.....I didn't mean for this to happen....please forgive me."_

_Miss Parker's mother didn't answer, but instead continued to weep. As Sydney gently lifted her mother's face, the little girl could see that she had been badly beaten. Why would Sydney do such a thing?_


	10. Chapter Ten

Jarod finished typing in the final codes to download the security footage from Sydney's office to his laptop. It would only take him a few minutes to edit out his appearance and make it look as though Sydney had been alone all night. As Jarod rewound the digital clip he saw Sydney on the floor, and a man taking a DSA, and file folder that were lying next to him. He rewound further and saw the same man hit Sydney hard across the back of his head, and Jarod felt a slight panic insinuate itself into his heart. He quickly looped the footage, removing not only himself, but also the man and the missing items. If anyone checked, it would look like Sydney had been simply sitting alone at his desk all night, staring into space. For good measure, Jarod removed any signs of the DSA and the file folder, then he uploaded the new footage to the Centre's mainframe. Not even Broots would be able to tell the difference.

Jarod picked up the phone and dialed Miss Parker. If something had happened to Sydney, she'd know about it. But the voicemail answered. Parker was not picking up. He dialed another number and waited.....

---------------------------------

Broots looked again at the security footage and shook his head. There was nothing. All night long, Sydney was sitting at his desk staring into space. He shrugged, Miss Parker had been mistaken. The phone ringing next to him made him jump.

"Tech room. Broots."

"Mr. Broots...."

"J-jarod?"

"Yes."

"W-what are you doing calling me here?"

"I need to know if Sydney's all right, Mr. Broots. Have you heard from him?"

The computer tech frowned, "Well, as a matter of fact, he has a bad concussion. He was in his office, and somebody hit him from behind. He doesn't remember much about it. Miss Parker took him home, and is there with him."

"Did she ask you to check the footage from his office last night?"

"Yeah. I just did, but there's nothing on it. I mean nothing. Just Sydney staring into space all night."

"Imagine that. Don't work too hard, Mr. Broots. I'll be in touch."

The line went dead, and Broots quickly hung up the phone. He knew he needed to call Miss Parker, but it would have to wait a few minutes until his nerves settled down. The last thing he needed was to have her scream at him for finding nothing....

--------------------------

Mr. Parker looked down the hall, and saw no one. He opened the door to his daughter's office and quietly entered. He set the file folder and DSA in his hands on her desk, and smiled to himself. Once she saw the doctored images and read through the documents, all signed and authorized by Sydney, she would have nothing more to do with him. Mr. Parker would let Sydney live long enough to feel the pain of Miss Parker's rejection, then he would put the man out of their collective misery. It had been a long time in coming. But after his angel saw the evidence, she'd be the first one to send the man to the wolves. After all, on some level she was a Parker....


	11. Chapter Eleven

Parker could feel her chest tightening and her breath becoming shallow as the memory lingered in her mind. She looked down at the distraught man in her arms, and felt hatred. Letting go of the burden she was holding, Miss Parker stood, reeling from what had been in her mind all along. She turned toward the sink and splashed cold water on her face. How could Sydney have beaten her mother? Parker shook her head, not knowing what was real and what was not. She looked down at the injured man, and felt only confusion. Realizing something had happened, Sydney pulled himself off the floor to look at Miss Parker. Her face read anger and hurt.

"Parker? Parker, what is it?"

"I......I remember now, Sydney."

"What do you remember?"

"A darkened room 25 years ago, my mother crying, and beaten; you apologizing for it, and a crushed bouquet of white mums and roses." Her eyes filled with moisture as she accused him. "Why Sydney? Why would you do that to her? She trusted you, and you betrayed her."

Slowly Sydney stood, holding onto the nearest wall for support. "No, Parker. I never betrayed your mother."

"Jarod told me to listen to the inner sense, that it would lead me in the right direction. It was you. You put the flowers at her grave this morning. Still feeling guilty over what you did?"

He reached for her. "Miss Parker--"

"--No. Stay away from me, Sydney. I remember now."

"But only fragments. Do you remember only me and your mother in the room?"

She looked indignant. "Yes. There was just the two of you."

Sydney shook his head. "No. We were not alone."

Parker pulled the nine millimeter from its holster under her jacket and pointed it at Sydney. "I don't want to hear any more of your lies, Sydney. You were having an affair with my mother, weren't you? I remember seeing other white bouquets every now and again... my father found out about it, and you tried to silence my mother. Finally I understand why you were always around my mother, and why my father hated you so much."

"Parker, are you listening to what you're saying?" The young woman's tears streaked her cheeks, but she kept the weapon trained at Sydney's chest. "Does any of that sound like something I would do? Think, Parker, think." He paused for a long moment. "If you honestly believe me capable of such actions, then you'd better pull the trigger...."

He watched as her finger twitched near the metal, edging ever closer to pressing on it.....

---------------------------

Jarod enhanced the image of the man in Sydney's office, and when it finally became clear enough to recognize, it was of no surprise to the pretender. The question that remained was what Mr. Parker intended to do with the file and the DSA. Jarod could only guess at the contents, but if it was what he expected, Miss Parker's knowledge of it would destroy both Sydney and her. But Jarod frowned; surely the information contained in the files would also expose Mr. Parker's role in all of it. And if Jarod was right, Mr. Parker was the mastermind behind the entire sordid mess. Why would Parker open himself up to such a thing? Jarod's eyes narrowed in thought; Mr. Parker wouldn't; he would however, doctor the files, pin it all on a convenient scapegoat, then give it to not only the triumvirate but also Miss Parker. It would be the one sure and quick way for Mr. Parker to rid himself of Sydney once and for all.

Jarod began typing an email; an encoded message to the one person inside the Centre who could still move about undetected, and above all, could be trusted implicitly. He only hoped Angelo would be able to locate the items and retrieve them before they wound up in the wrong hands.

-----------------------

Tears streamed down Miss Parker's face as she grew ever closer to killing the man standing before her. He said nothing, but never moved his chestnut eyes from her grey ones. Her mouth trembled in fear and anger, and he hand wavered ever so slightly.

"Say something, Sydney."

"What would you have me say, Miss Parker? That I slept with your mother? Is that what you really believe?"

"Did you?"

"No."

"But the two of you were together a lot. I remember that Sydney."

"Yes. We were working together; and that is all we were doing, Parker."

"But the flowers....the visits to the house when my father wasn't there. I remember it now, Sydney, and it all makes sense."

He looked away, then back into her eyes. "Yes, I brought her flowers, and I was at the house with her when your father was away. But it wasn't how it appeared."

"Bullshit."

He shrugged, resigned to whatever would happen now. "Your mother wanted to leave him. She had planned to take you and get out of the country, but she wanted to make it look as though there was another man. She figured if Mr. Parker believed that, he would be able to save face by blaming it on someone else, and he might not come after the two of you."

"That doesn't make sense. He would have killed you if he believed you were having an affair with her."

"He had no idea it was me. Your mother planned all of it very carefully so that he would suspect that there was someone, but that he would be unable to prove anything."

"Why would she want to take me away? She loved Daddy, I know she did."

"Yes she did. But she loved you more."

"He was no threat to me."

Sydney stared deeply into the raining sea of grey. "Wasn't he? You say you remember things now.... do you remember how he used to beat her--"

"--No! No, you're lying. He never hit my mother."

"Parker, it's there in your mind, but you're blocking it out, the same way that you blocked out that night from your memory. He gave you permission to go to Megan Finnegan's house to have dinner that day because he wanted you out of the house. It was Mr. Parker who beat your mother that night because he had uncovered her plans, and my duplicity. I was forced at gunpoint to watch the beating, and he left the house just before you arrived so that you wouldn't find him there, just your mother and I. You haven't remembered it Parker, because you wanted to protect yourself from this, and no one can blame you for that; but Parker, it's coming up now for a reason. You need to know that you cannot trust him."

Parker's voice was becoming agitated, "Shut-up Sydney. Just shut-up."

"Catherine was afraid that he might do something horrible to you."

Her voice rose in pitch and distress, "That's not true! My father loves me. Damn you Sydney, why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't want to see you hurt, Parker. Don't you understand that?"

"Oh please, you don't give a shit, Sydney. It's always been about Jarod for you. I have always come in a distant fifth behind Jarod, the Centre, Angelo, my mother, and your countless secrets and lies."

"That isn't true, Parker. You have always been important to me; you are a part of me, don't you know that?"

"Another lie. Just like your lies about Daddy beating my mother. And he has never laid a hand on me Sydney, and you know it. My mother wasn't afraid he was going to beat me."

"I never said she was."

"But you--"

"--I said she was afraid he would do something horrible to you. There are worse things than physical distress, Miss Parker. To take away a person's independence, her identity of self; it is far easier to destroy a human being through psychological means than physical ones."

The disgust in her voice was clear, "And you'd know wouldn't you?"

He moved closer to her, and shoved the gun in her hand to his chest. "Want to pull the trigger, Parker? Think it will solve everything? Go ahead." They stared at each other for a long moment before Sydney continued. "But you'd better ask me the one thing you still want to know first."

She glared at him. "There is nothing I want to know from you."

He smiled slightly. "Miss Parker, since you were a little girl, whenever you have lied to me, I have always known. Now is no different."

Her voice wavered, "Did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you love her?"

His chestnut eyes softened, glistening slightly as they stared into her hard grey ones. "Yes. I loved your mother from the first moment I met her, she was one of my dearest friends for many years. But that's not what you want to know." She stared obstinately at him, so he continued. "What you want to know is whether or not I was _in_ love with her."

Parker swallowed hard, gripping the handle of the nine millimeter tightly. "Well, were you?"

"Yes. Every day that I knew her." Parker's finger began to press slightly on the trigger. "But feeling something and acting upon it are two very different things, Miss Parker. A man cannot help _how_ he feels, only what he does about it. I could no more change the way I felt for your mother than I can change how I feel about you. But I swear to you on my brother's grave, Miss Parker, my love was neither consummated nor reciprocated. Your mother didn't love me, she loved Mr. Parker. The best I could be was her true and loyal friend, and that I did in the only way I knew how; I did as she asked of me, and I always kept her confidences."

Tears streamed down Parker's face as she recognized the truth. But he hadn't come completely clean with her. The gun pressed harder into Sydney's chest.

"You haven't told me all of it. What horrible thing was she trying to save me from?"

"I've told you everything that I'm going to, Miss Parker. There's nothing left for you to do but kill me."

But they both knew that Catherine Parker's little girl couldn't pull the trigger. Slowly Sydney reached for the weapon and gently removed it from her hand, pulling her into him as he did so. Parker curled into the embrace, allowing him to wrap his arms tightly around her as she wept into his chest. After a few moments she looked up into his wet eyes and spoke softly.

"You know who hit you, and why, don't you?" He nodded, so she continued, "Tell me."

"No, little one. This doesn't concern you. I will take care of it, and you will be safe once and for all."

Sydney kissed the top of her head, and gently broke away from her. He steadied himself, and put the gun he had taken from her in the waistband of his pants, then slid into his jacket. It was then that Parker realized his intent.

"Sydney, what do you think you're doing?"

"What I should have done thirty years ago."

She grabbed a hold of him. "Sydney, whomever and whatever you think you're protecting me from, there has to be another way. You can't just go into the Centre firing a gun, they'll kill you."

He took her by the arms. "I have no intention of using the gun, Parker; but when cutting a deal with the devil, one sometimes needs a little firepower of one's own."

He broke away and Parker grabbed him again. "Sydney, you're not being rational. You're suffering from a concussion, and you're not thinking straight. Please, just stay here with me for now. _Please_."

He lifted a hand and stroked her face, smiling down at her. "My sweet little Miss Parker. When you were a very little girl you used to come to my office every afternoon--"

"--to see what you were working on with Jarod--"

"--To steal a piece of chocolate, and don't think I didn't know it! I never told you, Parker, but I looked forward to those visits more than you looked forward to the candy. I still keep chocolate in the top right hand drawer of my desk...."

"But you don't eat chocolate anymore."

"No, but you do, Parker. And every afternoon since you came back from Corporate I had hoped that you'd come for a piece of it."

Fresh tears streamed down her face. "Oh Sydney.....why didn't you say something?"

"I never wanted to influence your choices, Miss Parker. You are your own person, and no matter what happens in life, you must remember that, do you understand?" She looked at him blankly and he shook her slightly. "Do you understand?"

"Yes...."

"Good girl." He kissed her forehead, then her cheek. "If you're as smart as I think you are, Miss Parker, you'll leave the Centre. You'll leave now, tonight, and you won't ever look back."

He tried to pull away then, but she held onto his sleeves. "Syd...why does this sound like good-bye?"

"You remember what I told you."

He kissed her once again, and impulsively she grabbed him around the neck, hugging him tightly. Sydney could feel her tears raining down upon him, and deep inside, he knew she would be all right. He gently pried her arms from around him, and without looking back, he left as quickly as he could make his injured body move.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Jarod paced the length of Sydney's office once again, impatiently waiting for Angelo. He had read the encoded email, and understood that Angelo not only had acquired two fake DSA's and medical files, but also the originals. He sat down at Sydney's desk and began to fidget with the drawers. He noticed a stash of chocolate in the right upper drawer and frowned; Sydney wasn't supposed to have caffeine anymore, why was this here? Underneath the chocolate, Jarod caught sight of an old key. It was familiar somehow. The pretender picked up the key, turning it around in his hands, and then he remembered: the key went with the old box that Sydney kept in the upper drawer of his filing cabinet. Ever since he had been a small boy, he had wondered what it was that Sydney kept in that box.

He stood and walked over to the filing cabinet, and opened the top drawer. In the back was a small, very old box. He gently removed it, and brought it back to the desk. He turned the key around in his fingers for several minutes. He knew he shouldn't open it. It was private, and Sydney wouldn't appreciate having his privacy violated. But some part of Jarod didn't care if it made Sydney angry - the pretender owed him at least one little payback. But Jarod couldn't bring himself to do it. Whatever was in there would remain for Sydney's eyes only. As he was putting the box and the key back where he found them, Angelo entered. He stared at Jarod wide-eyed for a moment.

"Sydney's box."

"Yes Angelo, I know it belongs to Sydney."

"You looked?"

Jarod shook his head. "I wanted to, but I didn't."

Angelo smiled. "He keeps memories there. Good and bad."

"Memories... do you mean DSA's, Angelo?"

The empath shook his head. "Memories. Good and bad." He fingered Jarod's jacket. "Many things of Jarod there."

"What do you mean?"

Angelo held his hand over his heart. "Jarod is Sydney."

Jarod eyes misted over slightly, but he couldn't spend any more time on it, he'd simply have to ask Sydney about it someday, or come back and look in the damned thing himself. He took Angelo by the arms.

"The DSA's and file folders Angelo, do you have them?"

The empath nodded, and pulled a large envelope from the back of his pants, under his shirt. He handed it to Jarod. "Some real. Some not."

"Any other copies?"

Angelo shook his head. "Father's computer is clean."

Jarod took the copy in the envelope addressed to Miss Parker and put it with the one addressed to the Triumvirate; the final envelope held the originals. Jarod first put one of the fakes in the DSA player on Sydney's desk.

"_Sydney, don't..... please don't do that."_

_Sydney held Catherine tightly to him, despite her requests to be left alone. He bent down and tried to kiss her, and Catherine pushed him away._

"_Leave me alone Sydney, I don't feel that way for you."_

"_But Catherine......I love you."_

_He leaned in again and tried to kiss her, and she slapped him. After a moment, Sydney hit her. When she began to scream, he grabbed her hard, threw her to the floor, and started to force himself on her._

Sick to his stomach, Jarod punched the stop button. He didn't need to see anymore to understand where Mr. Parker was going with this. Jarod had to admit, the digitized images were very convincing, but anyone who knew Sydney at all would know he wasn't capable of such a thing. He looked at the file folder in his hand, briefly noting that every medical report was signed by Sydney, as were the requests for experimentation. He read through the material quickly, and felt a sweat begin to break out on his forehead. Jarod knew that Sydney's signature had been forged, but he believed the rest of the information to be true. He looked at the originals sitting on Sydney's desk, and knew there was only one way to find out. He reached for the reports and read through them. The information was all real, but it had been Mr. Parker and Dr. Raines who had signed and authorized everything. Sydney had nothing to do with it, except for the fact that at some point, he became aware of it.

Jarod shook his head wondering how Sydney lived with himself. How could he have not told Miss Parker the truth? He looked at the DSA in his hand. Perhaps contained within was the answer.....

"_Catherine, you've got to hold still."_

"_Sydney, don't..... please don't do that."_

_The doctor held her tightly to him while he tried to clean a wound._

"_But Catherine....I have to. These wounds have to be taken care of."_

"_Leave me alone, Sydney. I don't want you to take care of me."_

_Hurt colored his timbre. _ "_I know you don't."_

_ The remorse in her voice was clear. _"_I didn't mean it like that, Sydney. I'm sorry.__"_

"_It's okay, I deserve such a comment I suppose.__"_

"_No you don't. You've never been anything but a gentleman with me; and I mean a gentle-man.__"__  
_

_He held her tightly for a moment, and then tended her wounds._

"_Why did he do this to you?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_Catherine......you're not telling me the truth."_

"_You don't know that, Sydney."_

"_Yes I do; you do the exact same thing that Miss Parker does when she fibs."_

"_Don't be silly, I'm sure it's not the exact same thing...."_

"_Yes, Catherine, it is! Neither one of you can make eye contact, and then you look at your hands, which you start to turn and twist slightly--" He stopped abruptly when he realized she was crying. He took her hands in his own. "Catherine, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. What is it? You know you can tell me."_

_The deep grey eyes looked into the chestnut brown ones, and saw unconditional love in them. "You must never tell anyone Sydney. Especially my daughter."_

"_Tell her what?"_

"_Promise me.__"_

"_I promise you, Catherine.__"_

"_You must never tell anyone how much alike my daughter and I are."_

"_But Catherine, she's your daughter, of course there are going to be similarities...."_

"_Similarities yes. But you said exact. And that isn't possible is it...."_

"_Not unless--" He stared at her. "It can't be."_

Jarod heard Angelo climbing into the vent, and he stopped the DSA. "Angelo what is it?"

"Trouble. Sydney. Danger...."

Jarod picked up all the DSA's and files, and shoved them into his backpack. Then as quickly as he could, he followed Angelo through the vent system of the Centre.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Sydney's face felt hot with anger as he approached the front doors to the Centre. Of course there was an argument that he should have been more discreet in his entrance, but then, he figured there was no point. As he walked down the main hallway, he felt the eyes of curiosity and wariness upon him. Somewhere along the way, he picked up a few Sweepers, whom he was sure were merely following Mr. Parker's instructions. As he neared the office of Mr. Parker, a tall Sweeper whom he had never seen before stepped out of the shadows, stopping Sydney with a hand in front of him.

"Where are you going, doctor?"

Sydney smiled at the man. "To see Mr. Parker."

The Sweeper shook his head. "I've been instructed to escort you to medical for observation."

"I don't need to be observed, but I will be heard."

As Sydney started past him, the man grabbed him roughly by the shoulder. "You will report to the medical unit for observation."

"I don't think so, not today."

Sydney wriggled out of the man's grip, and he heard a gun cocking by his head. "It was not a request, doctor."

Sydney eyed the man, and smiled yet again. "Unless you intend to use that weapon, I won't be going to medical." He could see from the man's reaction that he had been instructed not to shoot. "So, where are they?"

"Who?"

"Raines and Parker." The Sweeper stared at him, and Sydney sighed. "Look, I can either search the building for them with you on my tail, or you can save us both a lot of time and energy by taking me to them." The man still hesitated, and Sydney did the only thing left to him; he drew his own weapon and pointed it at the man's midsection. "Now, I assure you, I have no standing orders from anyone in regard to _not_ shooting you, and it would uncomplicate matters for me greatly if you were out of my way, so if I were you, I'd start moving." The man still stood there, so Sydney shoved the gun barrel into his stomach. "Now."

Slowly the Sweeper moved down the hallway, Sydney next to him, the gun trained on the larger man. As they approached the office of Dr. Raines, the psychiatrist shoved the man into an alcove.

"I thank you for your cooperation, but this is where you get off the train." Sydney slammed the handle of the gun down upon the man's head, and he crumpled to the floor. "Enjoy the nap."

Sydney put the gun back in the waistband of his pants and quickly covered the distance between the alcove and the door to Raines' office. He looked around and was surprised that the hallway was empty. Willie was nowhere to be seen, and a shiver ran up Sydney's spine: this wasn't right. He sighed. It was too late to back down now, and even if he could, he didn't want to; it was long past time that an end be put to this business. The threats going back and forth over the past twenty-odd-years had left him exhausted, and still Miss Parker wasn't free. But, a balance had been struck, with Raines and Parker never daring to go too far for fear of what Sydney might do. But the time had come to pass on the mantle of protection to one who would see that Miss Parker would rise above the intrigue, the lies, and the Centre itself. He had no doubt that Jarod wouldn't be the least bit surprised when he picked up the phone message Sydney had left, and he was confident that the pretender would see Miss Parker through to the end.

Sydney straightened his jacket, opened the door to the office, and walked in. As he suspected, Raines and Parker were there, along with Willie and two other Sweepers. Sydney looked at them.

"Well, well.....what a surprise."

Parker smiled at him. "Shouldn't you be resting or something Sydney? I understand you were hit quite hard on the head."

Sydney returned the smile. "Yes, you did hit me rather hard, Mr. Parker, but you know, you really should have killed me."

Parker's smile disappeared. "I should have killed you thirty years ago."

"Perhaps. It's a little late to think on that now."

"Why are you here?"

"The file folder and the DSA. I can quite imagine how the originals have been changed, and while I don't care what lies you show the Triumvirate--"

"--Miss Parker is another matter, isn't she Sydney?" The smile on the reptilian man's face made Sydney's skin crawl. Raines continued, "It's too late you know. The file is already on its way to her."

"I suggest you get it back."

Parker chimed in, "Why would we want to do that, Sydney? After my daughter reads through all of it and sees the DSA, she'll want nothing more to do with you, and she'll have no qualms with the Triumvirate taking action against you."

Sydney shook his head. "You still don't understand. You never did. I don't care what happens to me. It is Miss Parker who concerns me. I would rather she hate me than hate herself for who she really is."

"I don't see that you have any options, Sydney."

The psychiatrist moved toward Parker, smiling. As he reached the chair, he pulled the gun out of his pants, and held it to Parker's head.

"Now don't anyone do anything that might make me nervous, or my finger could slip and blow Mr. Parker's head off." He looked at Raines. "It would create quite a mess in here, you know."

Raines frowned. "You've finally lost it, Sydney."

"Have I? Or am I finally doing what I should have done long ago?"

"I'm talking to a dead man...."

"Maybe, Raines, but as I said, that doesn't matter to me; it will be the last thing you can ever do to me. You will destroy the files earmarked for Miss Parker, and you will never tell her the truth."

Parker spoke up, "You can't win here, Sydney."

"Yes I can. And I can take you with me."

Parker shook his head. "You can kill me, but all of the files she sees will show that you authorized the experiment; even more, that it was your pet project." Parker added, "Dead or alive, my daughter will hate you for eternity."

"And you'll destroy her in the process. But you don't care about that, do you? You've never worried about her feelings, nor how any of this might affect her. Don't you feel anything toward her?"

"She is an experiment, Sydney, just like all the others. But then, that's always been your weakness, you become attached to them, and can no longer function objectively."

"At least I taught them that's there's something more in the world than ugliness and hate; that there is life beyond the Centre."

Raines laughed hard. "That's your big accomplishment?"

"Admittedly, it wasn't much, but it was something."

---------------------------

From inside the air shaft of Raines' office, Jarod swallowed hard. He knew that Sydney had butt heads with both Raines and Parker, but he had never considered what it must have been like for him, nor what he had sacrificed in terms of his own life and happiness. Jarod whispered something to Angelo, who quickly disappeared down the shaft, and then the pretender pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

He whispered into it, "Hello Miss Parker...."

---------------------------

Raines answered the psychiatrist, "I've heard enough. Sydney, pull the trigger, or put the gun down; either way, you've lost. Miss Parker will be given the files, and that will be that. You no longer have the originals to use as leverage in this matter, so your influence is gone, and soon, you shall be too."

Sydney's hand flexed around the handle of the gun, and he smiled. "I'm afraid you've underestimated your position."

Parker's voice boomed, "What do you mean?"

"Jarod knows the truth."

The two men laughed, and Raines answered. "You told him, so what? He has no way to prove it, and Miss Parker will chalk it up to him trying to protect your memory. Face it, Sydney, it's over."

Sydney looked down at Parker, his voice unable to disguise the emotion propelling it. "You know that this will destroy her?"

"You overestimate your importance in her life, Sydney. She'll get over you and move on."

He shook his head. "Yes, you're right about me: I'm talking about the rest of it. The truth about her. My God, you've called her daughter for her entire life; how can you be this callous?"

Parker shrugged. "It was a good run. She had to find out sometime." He looked at Sydney meaningfully. "No secret lasts forever."

The two men held each other's eyes in understanding, and Sydney frowned, but all he said was, "Some secrets are far more dangerous than others, Mr. Parker, and you underestimate Jarod's ability to be convincing."

"Are you going to pull the trigger Sydney, or are we finished?"

Sydney looked down at the floor: he had come there to take their lives in the name of protecting Miss Parker. But now, as he stood there on the brink, he was not sure if he had come there for Parker's sake or his own, any more than he was sure he could go through with it. Mr. Parker watched the psychiatrist as he grew ever closer to relinquishing the weapon. Parker had seen it often enough in his enemies, this loss of resolve. He could smell victory.

Smiling, he chided Sydney. "Really Sydney, you fell in love with my wife and couldn't win her because she had no such desire for you; did you honestly believe you'd have better luck the second time around? The stupidity in that surprises me...."

Oh but it was the wrong thing to say. Sydney cocked the gun and held it tightly to Parker's temple, his lips curling into a sneer as he spoke.

"How dare you intimate such a thing. My feelings toward Miss Parker are not in any way carnal; to suggest anything else is the epitome of depravity and you know it. As for Catherine and me.....you saw what we allowed you to see, and well, you said it yourself, no secret lasts forever."

The provocative smile on Syd's lips had the desired effect. In a jealous rage, Parker lunged at him, and the two men struggled for the weapon. Willie and the other Sweepers drew their guns, but none of them could find a clear shot at the psychiatrist. Jarod watched with horror from inside the air vent, wondering what Sydney could have been thinking in provoking the attack with such an outlandish statement. But then Jarod couldn't be sure is it was a lie or not, only that Sydney somehow wanted to give Mr. Parker a fair chance in fighting for his life.

Jarod spoke under his breath, "Come on, Angelo, where is the diversion...?"

A moment later, an explosion from the bowels of the Centre rocked the room, putting a quick end to all else. The Sweepers holstered their guns, and followed by Dr. Raines, ran from the room to ascertain what had happened. Mr. Parker slowly got up from the floor, walked to the door and straightened his tie.

"We're not finished, you and I."

"Far from it."

Parker quickly exited the room, leaving Sydney alone. A moment later the vent to the air shaft opened, and Jarod crawled out.

"Jarod! What are you doing in there?"

The pretender smiled at his mentor. "Just making sure you didn't do anything rash."

Sydney smiled. "I'd hardly call the attempted murder of Mr. Parker and Dr. Raines 'rash' - it was thirty years in the making." Sydney stared into the dark eyes of his student. "How long were you in there?"

"Long enough to need an explanation."

Sydney turned away from Jarod and walked toward the wall with his arms across himself. "I wish you hadn't heard all of it."

"But I did."

Sydney shook his head. "It hardly matters now. They'll give Miss Parker the files and--"

"--No, they won't." Jarod pulled the copies and the originals from his backpack and handed them to Sydney. "This ought to restore the balance of lopsided power."

The older man stared into the pretender's eyes. "I don't know what to say, Jarod. I assume you read the files...."

The pretender nodded. "Why didn't you ever tell her?"

"Because I don't believe that knowing this particular truth is something that will help her live a better a life, Jarod." They stared at each other, then Sydney continued, "That, and frankly, I'm not altogether positive that it's the truth."

Jarod shook his head. "Where does it end?"

Sydney shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it never will."

"Mr. Parker eluded to a secret that won't last forever....what was he talking about?"

Sydney stared at Jarod, unreadable. "I have no idea."

The younger man observed his teacher for a moment. "What about Catherine Parker? Did you have an affair with her, or didn't you?"

One of Sydney's eyebrows raised, "Jarod, I taught you better manners than to ask a question like that; let me hold onto a little mystery......"

"I guess some secrets do last forever."

Sydney pat the young man's shoulder. "Jarod, you'd better go, they'll be coming back soon, and I need to destroy the copies and safely hide the originals. You're sure they can't reproduce any of this?"

"Angelo deleted all the files they had on the mainframe. They would need the originals again in order to fake convincing copies."

Sydney nodded. "All right then, off you go, before they discover you've been here."

Jarod hoisted himself into the vent, but before he replaced the grate, he looked back at Sydney. "You're never going to tell her?"

"I'm never going to tell her."

"What if I tell her?"

Sydney shrugged. "I suppose that's your prerogative, Jarod. But I would hope you would consider all the consequences in so doing. Silence is sometimes the most unlikely ally, but often the best one."

Jarod nodded, replaced the grate and disappeared in the Centre's ventilation system. He found it sadly familiar that he left the Centre with many more questions than when he arrived.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Sydney had just finished replacing the loose tile in the floor when he heard footsteps approaching his office. He quickly moved over to his desk, sat down and picked up a book, opening it to no particular page. The footsteps stopped in the doorway as the angry voice spoke.

"Where is it?"

Sydney's timbre was nonchalant, and he didn't bother to look up from his reading. "Where is what, Mr. Parker?"

"The file."

Sydney calmly closed the book, and gently set it down on the desk, then he turned to look at the angry man in the doorway, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Parker took an aggressive step into the office. "The files and the DSA, Sydney, they're missing, and you have them."

The doctor's eyebrows shot up in mock-surprise as he stood, taking the book and moving toward his bookshelves. "Oh, that..."

Parker glared. "Yes, _that_."

Sydney placed the book on the shelf and turned to Parker. "I believe we can all rest assured knowing that the items in question are in safekeeping."

Mr. Parker moved closer, sneering. "Don't play games with me, Sydney, I'm in no mood."

Sydney's head tilted slightly to one side. "Ah, yes, the explosion. Messy to cleanup and a bitch to explain." He moved past Parker toward his desk again. "But then you are a master of survival tactics when dealing with the Triumvirate, so, it shouldn't be too difficult for you."

Parker pulled a gun from a holster under his jacket and pointed it at Sydney's midsection. "If you want to continue breathing, Sydney, you'll hand over the files and the DSA."

Sydney's dark eyes turned to steel. "Go ahead, pull the trigger. You'll never find them."

Parker stared hard into the sea of velvet brown. "You'd rather die than lose control of this."

"It's more accurate to say that I am willing to make any sacrifice necessary to keep you from destroying Miss Parker's life." Sydney smiled. "But, since the items are out of your hands, we are once again in a stalemate, Mr. Parker; so it looks like business as usual."

Parker returned the smile. "Not quite, Sydney. Even with the file and DSA lost to me, I can still rid myself of _you_ once and for all..."

Sydney's face turned thoughtful. "Yes, you could, but then you'll have to explain my sudden misfortune to Miss Parker."

"My daughter will simply be told that you went postal when I confronted you about your relationship with Catherine."

"She'll know that's a lie."

"But a doubt is a seed well-planted, doctor. You of all people know that..."

"Yes, I suppose that I do."

The two men stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, a silent challenge passing between them. Parker's hand tightened around the handle of the gun, as he thought about blowing a hole in the doctor's chest. Sydney finally spoke, his voice soft and devoid of blame.

"You don't want her knowing the real truth anymore than I do; it was quite an act you put on in Raines' office." Parker glared at the psychiatrist, and Sydney continued, "You were the one who took the files, but you weren't the one who doctored them. You took them to destroy them, and the evidence of what you've done, but Mr. Raines had a different plan."

"You've always been clever, Sydney."

"And now we're back to square one, and a precariously balanced power."

"Not quite, doctor." Parker paused, glaring. "I know the truth about you and Catherine-"

"-What truth?" The feminine voice in the doorway startled the two men.

Parker answered her without turning around, as he quickly re-holstered his gun. "Don't you know that eavesdropping is a bad habit, Angel?" He turned then to face her, an insincere smile on his face.

She gritted her teeth, "What truth?"

Parker placed his hands on her arms. "I'm sorry Angel, I never wanted you to know this, but your mother was seeing Sydney...as a patient." Sydney looked over at Parker with thinly-veiled surprise, and Miss Parker's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "It isn't anything for you to feel badly about, Angel, your mother needed help, and she was just trying to get it."

"And you think this is news, Daddy?"

The older man's lips pursed as he considered the comment. "Well, it was news to me." Mr. Parker leaned in, kissed her on the cheek, and headed toward the door. "Are you coming, Angel?"

"In a minute, Daddy, I have a little unfinished business with Dr. Strangelove..."

Parker snorted derisively and looked hard at the psychiatrist. "Don't we all..."

Mr. Parker turned quickly and disappeared down the hall, leaving Miss Parker and Sydney alone. And the air in the room was suddenly quite stale. Finally she looked up into the soft brown eyes that carefully observed her, as they had for as long as she could remember.

"I wasn't sure what I would find when I got here..."

He smiled slightly, "Business as usual, Parker, that's all." His smile disappeared and his eyes turned serious, "But I thought I advised you to leave the Centre, Miss Parker..."

She looked down. "I couldn't." Her eyes darted up to his, the intensity in them holding him in their fire. "I had this overwhelming-" She couldn't finish the thought, and he smiled.

"An overwhelming sense of incompletion."

"Yes."

He moved a few paces away. "The inner sense. It's guiding you more and more, just as it did-"

"-My mother." He nodded and Parker continued, "Sydney, please tell me what you know." He looked deeply into her eyes, and she pleaded with him, "You can't protect me forever; I have to know the truth."

He frowned at her for a moment, then looked at the floor. "The truth isn't always a liberator, you know, sometimes it can imprison..."

Her eyes shone with disappointment and bitter regret, and he realized he had to at least share part of it with her. With a heavy sigh, Sydney pulled a DSA from his pocket and put it in the machine on his desk. He held his chair out for her, and slowly she sat in it. He pressed a button, and the images came to life...

_Catherine Parker, her face bruised and swollen, wept openly in Sydney's office. "Each time it's worse, Sydney. I don't know what to do, I'm afraid...I'm afraid that he'll-"_

_He gently took her hands in his. "You're afraid he might take it out on the child." She nodded and he continued, his voice growing soft. "What are you going to do?"_

"_I'm going to get her out of here, Sydney. I'm going to take her far away so that none of the evil of this place can touch her." She looked at him, hard. "B ut I need your help."_

"_Anything, Catherine, you know that."_

"_I have a plan, and I think it will work, but it's dangerous...especially your part in it."_

_He kissed her hands, "If it helps you, and the child, I'm willing." _

_She reached up and softly stroked his cheek. "It's not going to be easy. You'll have to do things, Sydney; things that go against everything you believe in. And you'll have to be convincing..."_

_Catherine pulled his face toward hers and kissed him gently on the lips. He stared at her in momentary confusion, but then understanding dawned in his chestnut brown eyes, and he looked away._

_His timbre was soft, ashamed, "I don't think I'll have any problems being convincing..."_

The DSA faded out, and Parker brushed away the tears in her eyes. She looked up and realized that Sydney had moved away, and was leaning against his file cabinet, deep in thought. Parker stood and walked over to him, placing a gently hand on his arm.

"What you said back at the house about your relationship...it was the truth."

His voice was barely a whisper, and he didn't look at her as he answered, "Yes."

"Does my father know?"

"Yes and no." She frowned at him, and he explained, "It's complicated, Parker. He knows there was something between us, he just isn't sure exactly what."

The nickel dropped for her. "And you perpetuate the doubt." He nodded and her voice turned cold, "Isn't that a little cruel, Pavlov?"

His timbre suddenly matched hers in temperature, "I told you, it's complicated."

He moved away from her and she followed him. "But how can you-" She stopped in mid-sentence as the voice from within became clear. "A balance of power... This is your way of somehow keeping the scales from tipping." She looked at him, but he gave no indication of confirmation. "But I don't understand how-"

He turned toward her, grasping her arms. "Parker, let it go." Her eyes remained determined and he continued, "Even your mother knew when to let a trusted friend protect her...it's something you still need to learn."

She stared at him for a long moment her eyes filling with tears, but none daring to fall. Then in answer, she shrugged out of his grip, quietly walked over to his desk and opened the top right-hand drawer. She pulled out a small piece of Belgian chocolate, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth.

Her voice was light, as if describing the chocolate, but her dark grey eyes carried the underlying meaning of her words. "I had forgotten what a comfort it could be."

Without further comment, Miss Parker softly left the room, leaving Sydney to his silent tears.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

"What do you mean you didn't kill him?"

"I didn't get the files, or the DSA, and as long as he has them, we can't do a thing to him, and he knows it."

"Yes," Raines wheezed, "but as long as the files exist, we still have a chance to alter the experiment. But, if he ever turns truly altruistic, he might destroy them to protect her, despite the consequences to himself."

"I don't think so; over the past thirty years, Sydney has always managed to cover his own ass." Raines frowned, thinking, and Parker's timbre showed his annoyance. "What?"

"Over the years I've often wondered if it's Sydney who's covering his own ass or someone else."

"Someone else?"

A sickening smile tugged at the bald man's lips. "Perhaps he has some kind of guardian angel..."

Parker shivered as the squeaky wheels of the oxygen tank intertwined with the laughter of its owner as he exited the room. He couldn't shake the memory of white roses mixed with China mums sitting in a vase on his dining room table; it was as if it had seen them yesterday. Parker shoved the remembrance aside; a ghost was far too unlikely an ally.

* * *

Sydney held the old file folder and three DSAs in his hand. He opened the folder and glanced down at the words he knew she must never read. Taking a deep breath, he held the items slightly away from him, struck a match, held it to the paper until the flames flared, and without another thought, tossed the burning debris into the metal trash can on the floor. He watched as the flames danced above the rim of the small wastebasket. Let Parker and Raines come after him; let the Centre eat him alive - as long as the truth that shouldn't be spoken was permanently silenced - he no longer cared. 

And then it was there, that overwhelming sense; the one voice within that he could not quiet. And he knew he owed her an explanation...


	16. Chapter Sixteen

He stood in front of her, looking solemnly into her face. Her shiny black hair, soft grey eyes, and pouty lips could twist him around her finger, and his feelings for her would never change. He felt his eyes sting, and he smiled in irony; the coldness of the stone at his feet brought his mind back to the present.

"Oh Catherine, how I miss you..."

He bent down to place the bouquet of white roses and China mums on the old headstone, and the voice from behind startled him.

"The memories come in bits and pieces, and I'm never really sure if I'm remembering my past or seeing my future."

He didn't turn to look at her, but his voice belied his strong emotion, "What have you remembered?"

"That night at the house...she begged you to protect her; to protect me. And you told her that you would do whatever she needed. The two of you weren't alone in the room, there were sweepers. She told you that no matter what happened, you had to take care of me. She made you promise her that you would see to it that nothing _ever_ happened to me, and for that favor, she said she'd always be near you, watching." Miss Parker paused for a moment, then continued in a softer voice. "I sometimes think I feel her with me, but you sense her presence all around you, don't you..."

His voice was a whisper, and he kept his back to her. "Yes."

"Teach me, Sydney...like you did her. Help me to understand how to use the inner sense ..._please_."

He closed his eyes tightly, his back straightening slightly. "I...can't."

"You mean won't."

He finally turned to face her. "Parker, you don't understand."

"Then explain it to me." He hesitated and her voice turned caustic. "I know you shared some kind of special...connection to my mother, but that doesn't give you a right to shut me out."

Sydney could feel her reaching out with her inner sense, and he stared at her, as he felt an all too familiar mental link. The color drained from his face, and finally he uttered, "I should have known..."

"Known what?"

The mental signature that was so unique, that was so familiar, and so comforting, was not Catherine Parker; and yet it was exact in every respect. And in that moment, he realized that it had not been Catherine's voice he had been hearing all these years, but Miss Parker's. She had been the one to reach out to him, unaware of her power within. Tears filled his eyes as he gently ran a hand through her hair. Parker frowned at him, but resisted the instinct to pull away from the affection.

"What is it?"

He smiled sadly and turned away from her, once again facing the grave of his dear friend. His graceful hand reached out and brushed across the headstone, feeling the smooth stone beneath.

His voice was a soft caress in its simple statement of fact. "I miss her."

Not prepared for such a display of bare emotion and stark honesty, Parker felt the sting of tears. "So do I."

Without looking behind him, his hand reached back and a moment later he felt the smaller one slide into it. He held it tightly as he had when she was a little girl.

Her voice was a whisper. "I never knew you felt this strongly about her."

"Yes you did." He glanced back at her. "Your conscious mind didn't want to accept it."

"Will I ever know the truth, Sydney?"

He turned to face her then, taking her hands in his own, his soft brown eyes looking earnestly into her grey ones. "The truth is there, Parker. You're just not ready to see it yet." He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him as he moved her toward the paved road beyond. "I'll be here to help you when the time comes..."

Parker put her arm around his waist and leaned into him as they walked. It had been a long time since she had accepted his comfort, but the voice inside told her that he would protect her with his life if it came to that. And she couldn't help but wonder why.

The End


End file.
